Read Online Rex Regis by L. E. Modesitt Jr. - Free Book Online Page A

arbitrarily punishing factors. He just doesn’t like deception … or other actions that suggest a lack of loyalty.” Quaeryt couldn’t say anything about obeying the laws of the land, because Bhayar had essentially repudiated the old privileges of the factors, and Quaeryt wasn’t aware that any new rules or laws had been issued. In fact, in his absence, he doubted that anyone had even considered the matter.
Another problem for you to resolve … if he’ll listen and let you.
    “Loyalty … that can be an ambiguous term, Commander,” offered Jarell.
    Quaeryt faced the factor and projected a combination of power and withering scorn, so much so that Jarell stepped back several steps and paled. “Neither I nor Lord Bhayar care much for weasel-wording factors who seek to hide behind the meaning of words or who use them to shield themselves from punishment for doing what they know is wrong. You know what is right, and it is not always the same as what brings in the most golds.” Quaeryt dropped the projection and said quietly, “Do you understand?”
    “Yes, sir.” Jarell inclined his head.
    Just before Quaeryt turned to leave, he noticed that the clerk who had been at the front desk had fainted.
You weren’t that violent.
    He didn’t shake his head as he walked out of the building.
Why are so many of them always trying to avoid and evade? Is that truly what makes a successful factor?
Then he paused, considering. Palumyn hadn’t tried to avoid. He’d been unhappy, and resigned, but he’d given every indication that he would do his best.
    Quaeryt smiled ruefully. That suggested Jarell was another Myskyl, a lower-level schemer trying to get to the top by twisting everything to his advantage.
And Myskyl is another problem you’ll have to face when you return to Variana.
    When he rode into the side courtyard at the Grande Laar Inn, Quaeryt reined up and saw Undercaptain Ghaelyn. “Undercaptain! Do you know if the imager undercaptains have returned?”
    “No, sir. They haven’t.”
    “Thank you.” Quaeryt dismounted and led his mount to the waiting stable boy.
    He needed to write out all the problems he faced-especially a set of rules to make things clear for the Bovarian factors and merchants, because it was all too obvious that the way they conducted business was not what was necessary for better trade between the different lands Bhayar now ruled.
    Quaeryt took a deep breath as he walked toward the inn door.

11
    In the end, Quaeryt, Vaelora, and their forces did not leave Daaren until Vendrei morning, partly because obtaining supplies took longer than Quaeryt had anticipated and partly because both Khaern and Calkoran felt that the mounts needed more rest. The additional day did give Quaeryt some time to start drafting what he thought of as a code for factors and trade. He had no illusions that what he wrote would be approved by Bhayar without change, but with three different sets of laws governing trade and commerce, Quaeryt felt that Bhayar would want some uniform code … and if Bhayar changed it, even for what Quaeryt might think was for the worse, one code was better than three-or four, if the High Councilors of Khel ever came to their senses and agreed to some sort of terms with Bhayar.
    For the first eleven milles north on the east side of the Phraan River, all the way to the small town of Faantyl, the road was slightly better than it had been south of Daaren. In Faantyl, surprisingly, every building seemed to have been built of the pale yellow brick that Quaeryt had first observed in Daaren, except in Daaren, not every structure had been built of it. Once in the town proper of Faantyl, Quaeryt reined up and asked one of the local crofters, seated on his wagon seat, on the west side of the churned dirt open space that passed for a square, about the road to the north.
    “Well … it’s not as bad as it might be this time of year, after the swampy part a mille or so north.”
    “What about the roads on